As planned, we spent Thursday anchored off St Pierre,
towards the North West corner of Martinique. We went ashore for the celebratory
lunch, and it did not disappoint. La Tamaya restaurant was quiet, hosting only
ourselves and a solitary other diner, so we probably made madam’s day,
particularly as we had the a la carte menu!
The anchorage is not particularly well protected from
the prevailing, but was acceptable since the winds and swell were relatively
light.
We have had a non-functioning speed log for a few days,
even though we had removed it and cleaned it thoroughly, so suspect that there
is something shrouding the paddle wheel where it emerges from the bottom of the
hull….another job for the list.
Pelicans Crossing and Frigates
Flying
We are now seeing lots of pelicans as we have moved
further north. They are extraordinary birds, huge close up, with their scrunched
up necks and massive bills. They hang around the fishermen’s boats hoping for an
easy titbit, or they swoop low over the water waiting for a careless fish to
surface and be swallowed.
The frigate birds are also big, with the largest
wingspan to body ratio in the aviary. They are a bit ungainly on their legs, and
cannot land on water – if they do, they can get stuck, so they touch down
briefly to lift their catch, without actually stopping. They are a bit fussy,
though, and we have watched them drop the fish back into the water so that they
can come round and pick it up head first, to make it slip down their throats
more easily. Just like the old queen mother, they must suffer from fish bones in
the throat if they are not careful!
Bon appetit,
Watergaw
